General Press Releases

The Village of Westmont has created an historical display at the Village Hall, 31 W. Quincy Street, in honor of the Westmont Lions Club's 80th Anniversary. More than 40 items have been collected for this project. The display is on the second floor and is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The display will continue through the end of March.

“This is exciting for the Westmont Lions Club,” says longtime Westmont Lions Club member Jim Addington. “Our recent 80th Anniversary Dinner was well attended and it gave us a chance to reflect on all of our accomplishments in the community.”

At a recent Village Board meeting, the Village honored the Westmont Lions and approved a proclamation recognizing the Westmont Lions Club 80th Anniversary. The proclamation listed a number of interesting facts and accomplishments:

* The Westmont Lions Club is the oldest service club in the Village of Westmont beginning in 1936* The Westmont Lions Club hosts the annual Red, White & BBQ Festival, which has become one of the biggest BBQ competitions in the Midwest.* The Westmont Lions Club is involved with a number of annual community events including Westmont Street Fair, 4th of July Celebration at Ty Warner Park, Taste of Westmont, Westmont Holly Days Winter Festival, and more.* The Westmont Lions Club hosted the Peace Poster Contest this past year, which included the involvement of Westmont-area middle school students.* The Westmont Lions Club has provided more than $30,000 in local scholarships over the past 15 years.* The Westmont Lions Club has provided food at numerous community events over the years, and in doing so, has flipped about 750,000 pancakes, shucked about 40,000 ears of corn, and cracked about 30,000 eggs.* The Westmont Lions Club has purchased over 500 pairs of eyeglasses and hearing aids for people in need.* The Westmont Lions Club has supported various charitable causes including SEASPAR and the People’s Resource Center.

“It is our honor to serve the citizens of our community,” says Lions President John Karesh. “We look forward to continuing our commitment to the residents of Westmont for many years to come.”